Sheet-severing device



Augal 26 `1924.

SHEET SEVERING DEVICE Filed Jan.

Patented Aug. 26, 1924.

UNITED STATES GUSTAV SEHRT, 0F ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

SHEET-SEVERING DEVICE.

Application filed January 29, 1923.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, GUsrAv SEHRT, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Sheet-Severing Devices, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to sheet cutting machines.

In one system of bookkeeping that is now generally used by companies which have a large number of accounts on their books the daily sales are entered on a sheet on which is placed the names of customers whol make purchases and the amounts of the purchases, said sheet is then cut into narrow strips, each of which contains the name of a customer and the amount of his purchase, and thereafter, said strips are arranged in alphabetical order and are. used in the operation of posting the daily sales in the ledgers.

The main object of my invention is to provide an apparatus of simple construction, by means of which a daily sales sheet of the kind mentioned can be severed quickly and accurately into a. number of narrow strips.

Another object of my invention is to provide a sheet severing apparatus of the kind referred to that is equipped with a novel means for adjusting the apparatus so as to vary the width of the strips formed from the sheet.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a to-p plan view of my improved sheet severing apparatus.

Figure 2 is an end view of said apparatus, partly in section; and

Figure 8 is an enlarged side elevational View of a portion of the apparatus illustrating certain parts of the sheet feeding means.

Referring to the drawings, A designates a horizontally-disposed table that is adapted to receive a sheet m provided with names and amounts placed opposite said names, 1 designates a guide or stop on said table against which one of the longitudinal edges of the sheet m is placed, B designates a cutting device formed preferably by a lever or ivotally mounted member arranged at one end of the table A and provided with a blade for severing the sheet into narrow strips, C designates feed rolls that project upwardly through openings in the table A, as shown in Figure 1, andzl) designates spring'- Seral No. 615,614.

pressed rolls for clamping the sheet against the rolls C, and thus causing the sheet to be fed forwardly when the rolls C are operated. The table A is provided at its dis charge end with a trough E for receiving and holding the strips that are formed by severing the sheet A transversely of its length, and the cutting device B is so arranged that when it is depressed or operated it will sever the end portion of the sheet that projects forwardly beyond the end of the table, thereby causing the strip formed by the severed portion of the sheet to drop downwardly into the trough E at the end of the table.

It vis immaterial whether the apparatus is provided with one or more pairs of rolls for feeding the sheet longitudinally of the table into position to be engaged by the cutting device B, but I prefer to provide the apparatus with two feeding rolls C and two spring-pressed rolls D, the rolls D being rotatably mounted on a horizontally-disposed shaft 2 arranged transversely above the table A and provided at its ends with angularlydispo-sed extensions connected to bearings 3 on the table and combined with springs L1 in such a way that the shaft 2 will be pressed downwardly, thereby causing the rolls D to clamp the sheet against the feed rolls C. The feed rolls C are rigidly connected to a horizontally-disposed drive shaft 5 arranged transversely of the table A on the underside of same, and means is provided for causing said shaft and the feed rolls C to turn forwardly when the cutting device B is raised or moved upwardly into the position shown in broken lines in Figure 2, at the termination of the opera-tion of severing a strip from the sheet In thel form of my invention herein illustrated the means that is used for this purpose consists of a vertically-reciprocating rack 6 at one side of the table that meshes with a pinion 7, a pivotally mounted pawl 8 on said pinion that is adapted to cooperate with a ratchet 9 rigidly connected to one end of the feed shaft 5 that carries the feed rolls C, an angularly-disposed arm 10 that projects downwardly from the pivoted end of the cutting device B, as shown in Figure 2, and a link 11 and bell crank lever 12 for transmitting movement from the arm 10 on the cut-ting device to the rack 6 when the cutting device B is swung upwardly. As shown in Figure 2, the bell crank lever 12 is pivotally mounted on a bracket 13 on the underside `of the table A and is provided with a relatively long, horizontally-disposed arm which is joined by a slot and pin connection to the lower end of the rack 6. The link 11 is joined at one end by a slot and pin connection tothe short vertical arm of the bell crank lever 12, and the opposite end of said link projects outwardly through an adjustable stop 'll and is provided with a head 15 that is adapted to be engaged by the arm 10 on the cutting device when said cutting device is swung upwardly. j

In using the apparatus the sheet is arranged on the table A in such a manner that the top portion of said sheet which contains the first name will project forwardly beyond .the end of the table and overhang the trough E, it being of course'understood that it is necessary to raise the cutting device B in order to permit the sheet a@ to be moved forwardly beyond the end of the table. l/Vhen the cutting device B is depressed the projecting end portion of the sheet will be severed into a strip which falls downwardly into thie trough E. Thereafter, the operator swings the cutting device B upwardly into the position shown in broken lines in Figure 2, so as to cause the angularly-disposed arm 10 on said cutting device to push. the link or rod 11 inwardly, thereby causing the bell crank lever 12 to move the rack 6 upwardly. As the pinio-n 7 that cooperates with said rackis provided with a pawl .8 that engages a ratchet 9 on the feed roll shaft 5, the upward movement imparted to the rack 6 will cause the feed rolls C to turn forwardly, and. thus feed the sheet at portion of the sheet will be severed into a strip which falls downwardly into the trough E,

i If it is desired to vary the width of the strips formed by transversely severing the sheet this can be accomplished easily by changing th'e position of the stop 14C against which the head 15 on the rod 11 strikes during the upward movement of the cutting device B. The stop` 14 is screwed into a bearing ,16 on the underside of the table, and if it is desired to increase the width of the strips, said stop 11i is screwed further into the bearing 16, so as to permit of a greater movement of the link 11 before the head thereon strikes against said stop. If it is f desired to reduce the width of the strips, the

stop 14C is screwed outwardly so as to reduce the length of the stroke of the link 11 when it is actuated by the arm 10 on the cutting device B.

A spring 17 is preferably connected to an extension 18 on the pivoted end of the cutting device B, so as to tend to balance said device when it is in its raised position, but

the tension of said spring is not great enough to raise the cutting device B after said device has been depressed to sever the sheet. Any suitable means can be used for resto-ring the rack 6 and the parts associated with same to starting position after the arm 10 on the cutting device B moves out of engagement with the rod or link 11, such, for example, as a spring 19 on the underside of the table that exerts pressure on the long arm of the bell crank lever 12 in such a direction as to move the rack 6 downwardly.

With an apparatus of the construction above described it is possible to quickly and accurately sever a daily sales she-et into a number of narow strips, owing to the fact that the sheet feeding means is combined with the cutting device B in such a way that the sheet will be fed forwardly a distance equal to the width of a stripeach time the cutting device is swung upwardly preparatory tothe operation of severing the next strip. The apparatus is of such simple construction that it can be manufactured at a lowcost and is not liable to get out of order when in use, and still another desirable feature of such an apparatus is that it can bev adjusted easily to vary the width of the strips by simply changing the position of the stop 1li.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An apparatus fo-r severing a sheet into narrow strips, comprising a table adapted to have a sheet positioned thereon, a cutting device arranged beyond one end of said table for severing the sheet into narrow strips, means for receiving the severed strips and collecting land holding them in a pile, a rotatable feeding device for mov-v ing the sheet into position to be acted upon by said cutting device, an actuating mechanism for imparting a step by step movement to said feeding device, and means on the cutter that is adapted to engage said actuating mechanism and impart movement to same when the cutter moves .into its inoperative position..

2. An apparatus for severing a sheet into narrow strips, comprising a table Vadapted to have a sheet positioned thereon, a plurality of feed rolls that project upwardly through openings in said table, spring" pressed rolls for pressing the sheet againstr causing said pawl and ratchet mechanism to turn the feed rolls in a direction t0 move the sheet into position to be engaged by said cutting device.

3. An apparatus for `severing a sheet into narrow strips, comprising a table adapted to have a sheet positioned thereon, a pivotally mounted cutting device arranged beyond one vend of said table for severing the sheet into narrow strips, means projecting beyond the end of the table for receiving and collecting the severed strips, a feed shaft arranged transversely of the table and provided with rolls for moving the sheerJ into position to be acted upon by said cutting device, a ratchet on one end of said feed shaft, a pinion on said shaft provided with a pawl that is adapted to engage and move said ratchet, a reciprocating rack in mesh with said pinion, and means arranged transversely of the table on the underside of same and adapted to be operated by the movement of said cutting device into its elevated position for reciprocating said rack.

4. An apparatus for severing a sheet into narrow strips, comprising a table adapted to have a sheet positioned thereon, a pivot'- ally mounted cutting device arranged at one end of said table for severing the sheet into narrow strips, means for receiving and collecting the severed strips, a feed shaft provided with rolls for moving the sheet into position to be acted upon by said cutting device, a ratchet on said feed shaft, a pinion provided with a pawl that is adapted t0 engage and move said ratchet, a reciprocating rack in mesh with said pinion, an angularly-disposed arm on the pivoted end of said cutting device, and a link and lever interposed between said arm and rack for actuating said rack.

5. An apparatus for severing a sheet into narrow strips, comprising a table adapted to have a sheet positioned thereon, a pivotally mounted cutting device arranged at one end of said table for severing the sheet into narrow strips, means for receiving and collecting the severed strips, a feed shaft provided with rolls for moving the sheet into position to be acted upon by said cutting device, a ratchet on said feed shaft, a pinion provided with a pawl that is adapted to engage and move said ratchet, an angularly-disposed arm on the pivoted end of said cutting device, a link and lever interposed between said arm. and rack for actu ating said rack, and an adjustable stop arranged so that it will cooperate with a head on said link to control the movement imparted to said rack by the cutting device.

GUSTAV SEHRT. 

